Tag Archives: Alzheimer’s Society

Those who sleep for more than eight hours a day are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s, research suggests.

The danger affects both those who enjoy regular lie-ins in the morning and those who take naps in the afternoon, a study found.

The reason for the trend remains unclear. It could be that excessive sleep is an early sign of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

Staying in bed could also be a sign of depression, which is known to increase the risk of dementia in the elderly.

But it is also possible that excessive sleep actually increases the risk of developing the disease.
Researchers urged doctors to be on the look-out for long sleep as a warning that a patient is at risk.
Alzheimer’s affects an estimated 750,000 Britons and this is expected to rise as the population lives longer.

The latest research into the disease was carried out by experts at the University Hospital of Madrid in Spain.
They studied 3,286 men and women aged 65 or over.
Each one was asked about their health and lifestyle, such as how many hours of sleep they averaged over a 24-hour period, including afternoon naps.

The volunteers were then followed for more than three years, during which 140 went on to develop Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
The results showed those who averaged more than eight or nine hours of sleep a day were twice as likely to have developed dementia.

In a report on their findings, published in the European Journal of Neurology, the researchers said: ‘We found a significant association between long sleep duration and dementia.

‘Long sleep may be an early symptom of dementia, or could lead to an increased risk of it. But the mechanisms underlying this association are not readily explainable.’

Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘This report demonstrates that sleeping longer than normal and feeling sleepy during the day is linked to getting dementia within three years.
‘There is no apparent physiological link and it is unlikely that sleeping more than normal is a direct risk factor for dementia; it may simply be an early sign of a yet undiagnosed condition. As currently only a third of people with dementia ever receive a formal diagnosis, more research is now needed to investigate these results.’

Alzheimer’s destroys chemical messengers in the brain.
It starts with the build-up of deposits called plaques and tangles which can disrupt normal messaging systems by causing inflammation.

The cause remains unknown but research suggests keeping the mind active, such as by doing quizzes, puzzles or crosswords, may help protect against this.

Earlier this week a report found that exercising regularly and sticking to a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables, oily fish and nuts could cut the risk of Alzheimer’s by 80 per cent.

A study earlier this year found too much sleep is also linked to type two diabetes.
Regular lunchtime siestas increased the risk by 26 per cent, possibly by disrupting the body’s hormonal balance.

More people than previously thought could be at higher risk of having a stroke caused by their antipsychotic drugs, say UK scientists.

……………………………..Antipsychotic drugs are given to people with schizophrenia and dementia

Previous research suggested only some types of the drug increased the risk, particularly for people with dementia.

However a study published in the British Medical Journal says all forms of antipsychotics boost the risk, in all patients.

A mental health charity said patients on the drugs must be closely monitored.

“This is another warning that all antipsychotics should be prescribed with great thought and care”…says Marjorie Wallace Sane

Antipsychotic drugs are generally used to control psychotic symptoms in patients with disorders such as schizophrenia, and some severe forms of depression.

They are also thought to be widely used to control symptoms of dementia such as aggression, leading to accusations they were being used unnecessarily as a “chemical cosh” in some circumstances.

They fall into two types – newer “atypical” and older “typical” antipsychotics.

When the first concerns were raised in 2002, these focused on the “atypical” drugs.

These worries led to a recommendation from drug safety watchdogs in the UK that they not be given to people with dementia, and the government has been urged to strengthen this in England in its forthcoming dementia strategy.

They identified 6,700 patients from a GP database, all with an average age of 80, and concluded that there was more than a tripling of risk for dementia patients taking any sort of anti-psychotic drug.

Patients without dementia taking any sort of antipsychotic had a 40% increase in risk.

The researchers repeated the recommendation that patients with dementia should not be prescribed these drugs.

A group of 1,836 dementia-free Japanese-Americans in the Seattle area were chosen for the study. Information was collected on their consumption of fruit and vegetable juice with the use of a questionnaire and was assessed every two years for up to 10 years. The results showed that individuals who drank juice three or more times a week were 76 percent less likely to develop the symptoms of Alzheimer’s compared to those who drank less than one serving a week.

The only limitation of the study was that specific juices were not found to be more effective than others. This may lead to a more precise study of individual vegetable and fruit juices. To find out more about the benefits of antioxidants and other compounds found in fruits and vegetables, talk to your chiropractor and visit www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/nutrients.html.